doglover:dittybopper: /I thought Japan already had a professional Navy.

They do. Ours.

They've also got the SDF, which is just an ordinary military with a different name.

Um, the Japan Maritime SDF is considered one of the most powerful navies in the world, possibly second only to the USN, and has been for at least the last couple of decades. They're one of the few countries that we sell the Aegis system to, which enables them to be a true blue-water navy.

They've also got the SDF, which is just an ordinary military with a different name.

Japan's really one of the few countries capable of defending themselves without totally relying on us. Their forces, particularly the air force (JASDF) and navy (JMSDF), are exceptionally well trained and equipped. The only thing that's caused a little rattle amongst the tinfoil hat crowd is that now they've got a couple of legitimate light aircraft carriers in the 20,000 ton range capable of operating (but not currently equipped with) VTOL aircraft like the Harrier or F-35B.

Oh, and here's a hint for subby. Japan's had a postwar navy since 1952.

doglover:They've also got the SDF, which is just an ordinary military with a different name.

I wouldn't go around calling that ordinary.

/Seriously, that is one impressively trolltastic attention-whore headline. No wonder the mods approved it. if you're an American, you probably shouldn't be worried about Japan's military-industrial complex running out of control and destroying their country. Hint: you might want to think a little closer to home.

// And you might want to adjust your world-view so WWII is not your reference point for all history. I know it's hard, Susan, but you can rub those two brain cells of yours together.

Arkanaut:doglover: dittybopper: /I thought Japan already had a professional Navy.

They do. Ours.

They've also got the SDF, which is just an ordinary military with a different name.

Um, the Japan Maritime SDF is considered one of the most powerful navies in the world, possibly second only to the USN, and has been for at least the last couple of decades. They're one of the few countries that we sell the Aegis system to, which enables them to be a true blue-water navy.

Source4leko:Lundah: Yes, yes, and the reunification of Germany was supposed to bring about the second-coming of Hitler, remember?

Why would Germany need a 2nd Hitler when every country in Europe gave them control over their finances anyway?

"Give me control of a nations money and I care not who makes it's laws" - Mayer Rothschild"Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."- Mayer Amschel Rothschild - See more at: http://the-classic-liberal.com/give-me-control-nations-money/#sthash. 1 qD80hZ7.dpuf "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."- Mayer Amschel Rothschild - See more at: http://the-classic-liberal.com/give-me-control-nations-money/#sthash. 1 qD80hZ7.dpuf

"Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."- Mayer Amschel Rothschild - See more at: http://the-classic-liberal.com/give-me-control-nations-money/#sthash. 1 qD80hZ7.dpuf

silverjets:James!: I think we can trust the Japanese with a military at this point. It's been 70 years.

You'd think. But you can bet the Chinese and the Koreans will speak out against this.

When it came to "grievous acts of violence during wartime" I'd say the Germans were on par with the Japanese, if not having surpassed them, but the Germans weren't required to give up their military.

It wasn't ingrained into their constitution, but West Germany didn't have a military for 10 years after WWII. (And even then, that was a military necessity to counter the Warsaw Pact.) To their credit, they have also been far more open and contrite about their actions during WWII than Japan has.

The United States will never have a unified force. The different branches of the armed forces are just too different from each other. For example, if you tell the Navy to secure a building, they'll shell it, send in the Marines to secure and then Sea Bees to rebuild. If you tell the Army to secure a building, they'll send in the Special Forces and then engineers to reinforce it and infantry to establish perimeter defenses.

But if you tell the Air Force to secure a building, they'll sign a 99 lease on it with an option after 75 years to buy.

doglover:Arkanaut: They're one of the few countries that we sell the Aegis system to,

That's my point. We sell them all kinds of good shiat. And vice versa.

Okay then. I thought by "They do - ours" you meant that they rely on the USN to protect them, which hasn't been true for a while now. I'm sure we still play a role in their defensive plans but they can definitely do a decent enough job on their own.

silverjets:James!: I think we can trust the Japanese with a military at this point. It's been 70 years.

You'd think. But you can bet the Chinese and the Koreans will speak out against this.

When it came to "grievous acts of violence during wartime" I'd say the Germans were on par with the Japanese, if not having surpassed them, but the Germans weren't required to give up their military.

Sure, if by "weren't required to give up their military" you mean the Wermacht was disbanded by the Allied occupation forces. Both East and West Germany had no military until 1955, one year after the Japanese officially created the SDF.

James!:I think we can trust the Japanese with a military at this point. It's been 70 years.

Just because it's paranoid to think that there are flying, invisible space monsters waiting to rip your face off; does not preclude the existence of flying, invisible space monsters waiting to rip your face off.

James!:I think we can trust the Japanese with a military at this point. It's been 70 years.

At this point, it's not really "our" place to say. What keeps Japan from having a military is not a treaty, but its own constitution; we wrote it, back in the day, but it's theirs to amend. The topic comes up from time to time, but it always gets defeated.